Armitage: I'll take my chance

The latest product of London Irish's famous rugby family talks to skysports.com about his hopes for the season.

Highly-rated London Irish centre Guy Armitage is determined to take his chance in the opening weeks of the new Aviva Premiership season. The England Under-20s international, one of five rugby playing brothers - and the younger sibling of World Cup-bound Delon - is likely to be given the opportunity to fill some pretty big boots for the Exiles. With Seilala Mapusua and Elvis Seveali'i having left in the summer and their replacements Joe Ansbro and Shontayne Hape away at the World Cup, academy product Armitage finds himself in the running for regular action over the coming weeks. And the 19-year-old, who played at the Junior World Championships, is out to make hay while the stars are away. "I'm really excited," Armitage told skysports.com. "With players away this is a really good chance for me and the other younger players to get some first-team action. "Joe Ansbro and Shontayne Hape will both be away at the World Cup so there is an opportunity for me to prove myself and impress. "I've had my first season out of school to get comfortable with the calls and the moves and I now know all the players so I feel confident in myself and my ability going into the season. "I had the one game last season in the LV= Cup, so I am hoping to get more of a chance this year. "There are eight games at the start while the lads are away - with six in the Premiership and two in the LV= Cup - so I want to play in as many of them as I can to stake my claim for the shirt."

Challenge

Fellow summer signing Jonathan Spratt will also be vying for a spot in the midfield, while Armitage's brother Delon, rising stars Jonathan Joseph and Adam Thompstone and New Zealander Dan Bowden can all play in the centres. And with his career still being in its infancy, Armitage, whose brother Steffon played for the Exiles and England before moving to Toulon in the summer, believes the fight for a place in the team will help him improve. "When you've got competition for the shirt it makes you play better as you rise to the challenge," he said. "You need that competition otherwise you just become complacent, so we will all be pushing each hard for places. "Age isn't a factor anymore in the modern game. The academy guys are physically ready now, it is all about making sure you are mentally prepared." While hoping for his own personal success by establishing himself in the Irish squad, Armitage insists the club as are whole are targeting honours. "We've got our short-term goals where we will take each game as it comes but we want silverware and that means the Premiership and the Heineken Cup," added Armitage. "We want to be up for them, competing for top honours. We aren't just in them for the sake of it, we want to win silverware."